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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29471334">Love and Chains</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niphredilien/pseuds/Niphredilien'>Niphredilien</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Paths We Tread [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angband, Death, F/M, Friendship, Halls of Mandos, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:33:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,658</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29471334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niphredilien/pseuds/Niphredilien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Elu thinks they were once in love.<br/>He isn’t sure.</i>
</p><hr/><p>Elu Thingol tries to recall his life once he has died.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elu Thingol | Elwë Singollo &amp; Finwë, Elu Thingol | Elwë Singollo/Melian, Melian &amp; Sauron | Mairon, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Paths We Tread [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Love and Chains</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello all!</p><p>This is my attempt at writing a story about Elwë and Melian’s relationship.</p><p>Thank you to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliviacat3/pseuds/oliviacat3">oliviacat3</a> for beta’ing for me as always. You’re amazing!</p><p>TW - this story is about an abusive relationship and there are some vague mentions of rape.</p><p>I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elu thinks they were in love once.</p><p>He isn’t sure.</p><p>Even dead, in this quiet place, he finds his mind as foggy as always. So much of his life missing, out of his grasp.</p><p>There are moments, snippets, nothing substantial really, that stand out from the mist in his mind. Sometimes he will lie in this garden that he has found himself and play them over and over and over for fear that he will forget everything.</p><p>What he remembers is so little that he grips onto even the horrible memories that make him want to gag or throw up or cry.</p><p>They are all he has in this empty world.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elu is enraptured.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She is the most beautiful thing in the world.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They stand like this for seconds? Years? Months? Elu knows not for she is the only thing he can think of in that long, long moment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He does not know why he is here and it does not matter. Not as she stands there too.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian smiled at him, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I love you so much my dear.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu smiled back. His life was rather hectic at the moment but Melian was always there as a pillar of support. She had his back in all things.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’m going hunting,” Elmo declared, slinging a bag over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in about ten turns of the constellations. Be safe, brother dearest.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I always am.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Make sure Galadharan doesn’t do anything crazy while I’m away.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Of course.” Elu gave her a swift embrace. “Don’t tarry long in the wild.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>The world was clear for a moment as Elu looked at the small bundle in his arms. The baby had silver hair and bright eyes and tiny, tiny everything and he was Elu’s </em>son<em>.</em></p><p>
  <em>“Are you crying?” Melian asked incredulously. It had only been an hour since the birth but she was already back on her feet, doing her hair into regal braids.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No.” He reaches up, holding the baby tighter with the other hand as he wiped away his tears. “I’m so very happy.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And he was.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Tell me a story Ada!” Daeron clambered into Elu’s lap. “Nellas says you’re the bestest story teller ever.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Best, Tifanto,” Melian reprimanded, looking up from where she was tending to her plants, and Elu frowned in her direction.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She rolled her eyes – they have not exactly been getting along recently.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Of course I’ll tell you a story.” He wrapped his arms around his son – his hair black today and his eyes a mismatched blue and green – holding him close as he began. “Now, have you heard the tale of the bear?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Lúthien shrieked happily, spinning around. Elu smiled as he watched Daeron play the flute – and he had got very good at it – for his sister so that she had something to dance to beyond the Music that Melian had spoken of.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She turned breathlessly in his direction. “Ada, Ada! Come and dance with me!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He laughed, ignoring his wife’s disappointed look, and more than willingly took Lúthien’s hands and spun around with her in the forest glade.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Daeron’s bedroom door was open when Elu reached it. He knocked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Dae, would you like to come out for a walk with me? I have a free afternoon.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Go away!” The muffled reply came from somewhere within the pile of blankets on the bed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu was slightly taken aback by his usually rather calm son’s response. “Is something the matter?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No! Nothing’s wrong.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I think it is.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The blankets were thrown back and Daeron sat bolt upright to glare at his father. “I don’t want to go on your stupid walk!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu frowned. “That’s not polite of a prince, Daeron.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well maybe I don’t want to be a prince!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu realised that Daeron’s face was not red with anger but with tears. “Dae, what’s wrong?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Nothing! Nothing is wrong! Just leave me the fuck alone!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elu was slammed up against the wall as Melian marched into their bedroom.</em>
</p><p><em>“It was you,” She hissed. Her elvish hröa has fallen away into something otherworldly. There are vines – they might be part of her or they might not – that creep around his wrists and his neck, pinning him to the wall. “You let him out. How </em>dare<em>you?”</em></p><p>
  <em>“He’s my son!” He exclaimed before another vine gagged him, slithering over his tongue and half choking him.</em>
</p><p><em>“He’s </em>my<em> son. You have </em>nothing<em> here. Everything that you think is yours is mine. </em>You<em> are mine. You need to learn that.”</em></p><p>
  <em>The vines bent and warped and tore and hurt and there was a long period of what feels like white noise in his head and then…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Think on that,” Melian said, adjusting her robes and looking regal and elvish again. The vines had retracted, letting Elu fall to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The door slammed behind her and locks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu curled up, bleeding and naked and sobbing softly to himself.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Ada!” Lúthien cried. “Why have you done this?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu wanted to stop walking, to take his hand off of his daughter’s wrist, to bundle her into his arms and wipe away her tears.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But he was not the one in control of his body.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You need to learn self-control, iel-nin.” Melian continued to drag her sobbing daughter along the corridor and there was nothing that Elu can do about it.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He was alone in his head for the first time in a very long time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His hand shook.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There was a knock on the door and it was opened before Elu found his voice to speak.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Aran-nin,” Beleg said quietly. “Lúthien escaped to go after her mortal lover.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Relief flooded through him. She had escaped.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“…her out.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu shoved a small box into his nephew’s hands. Celeborn looked a little scared by the intensity of the gaze.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Do it. Please. And get out of here.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Odheg, what about you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu brought him into a hug. “I can’t leave Celeborn. I have to look after our people as best I can.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>There was chattering around his ears that he can’t quite focus on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Faces drift in and out of his vision – bearded faces. Unfamiliar faces.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gentle hands, careful hands, soft apologies.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…king…you’re dy…”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian was beautiful and Elu stood there for an endless amount of time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He couldn’t keep his eyes away.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian smiled at him as she declared her love.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She was his pillar of support.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elmo smiled as Elmo spoke to him for the last time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They hugged, not as tightly as Elu would have wanted if he had known he would never see her again.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian was scathing as Daeron speaks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Elu ignored her, telling Daeron a story of the stars.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Lúthien was dancing to Daeron’s music and they were both laughing and happy and it made Elu happy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He danced under the trees with them.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Daeron was furious and sad and hurt – Elu was sure of this.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He can’t help him.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian had found out that he had helped Daeron to escape.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It hurt that she hurt him – he thought, naïvely, that maybe she did still love him.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Lúthien was distraught and Elu wanted to help her, to hug her, to make all her worries disappear.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He couldn’t because Melian was the one in control, not him.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Beleg was there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lúthien was gone – she was gone and safe like Daeron.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He told Celeborn how to get out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He told Celeborn how to get out, how to escape with Beren and Galadriel and to be free of Melian – so that the last of his sister’s line in Doriath can be safe.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He was dying, he thought.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He didn’t know how or why, but he was.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian was enchanting.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Melian was his pillar.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elmo hugged him goodbye.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elu told Daeron a story.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Lúthien was dancing.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Daeron was sad and angry.</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>Elu </em>hurt so much<em>.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Lúthien had lost the love of her life.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Lúthien was safe.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elu got Celeborn out.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Elu was dying.</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>Melian</em>-</p><p>“Elwë?”</p><p>Elu looks up sharply. His breaths – he’s not sure <em>why</em> he’s breathing, he’s <em>dead</em> after all – are coming out rapidly and he can’t quite get them out properly.</p><p>It’s Finwë.</p><p>It’s…it’s <em>Finwë</em>.</p><p>He pushes himself upright onto shaking legs.</p><p>“Fin?” His voice sounds thin and quiet and weak to his ears. The world around him blurs and warps. Nothing is real here, is it?</p><p>Finwë probably isn’t either.</p><p>Elu sinks back to the ground.</p><p>“Oh El.”</p><p>Elu tenses as arms are thrown around him.</p><p>“I’m furious at you,” Finwë mumbles into Elu’s shoulder. He pulls away again. “I missed you. I missed you <em>so much</em>.”</p><p>“You’re…you’re actually here?”</p><p>“Yes. Yes. Yes I am.” Finwë’s hands are soft on Elu’s face. He is looking at Elu as if he is the most precious thing in his eyes at that moment. “And you’re here too.” Elu realises that Finwë is crying. “I missed you so much dearest.”</p><p>Elu leans into Finwë’s touch. He’s <em>here</em>. For once, something in his death is <em>real</em>.</p><p>And it’s his <em>friend</em>.</p><hr/><p>She thinks that she might have loved him. Once.</p><p>He was certainly pretty enough. Appealing. Elu was the most beautiful out of all three of the ambassadors. And he had adored her in the way she so craved.</p><p>Melian sighs, twirling a lock of hair around one finger. Standing on the battlements, she can see the world of fire and ash around her.</p><p>“Ah, <em>here</em> you are, sister dearest.”</p><p>Melian rolls her eyes at her brother’s drawling voice. “Finished drooling over your lord, Mairon?”</p><p>“Finished being terribly melancholy?”</p><p>Melian pushes herself up. “I wasn’t being melancholy.”</p><p>“And I wasn’t drooling.” Sauron smiles at her. “Come on, I need some help with the defences.”</p><p>She takes his proffered arm and follows him through the fortress.</p><p>She couldn’t keep power through benevolence.</p><p>This way might work.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Non-Canon Names:<br/>Galadharan - Red Tree (Sindarin)</p><p>Quenya Translations:<br/>Hröa - Body</p><p>Sindarin Translations:<br/>Iel-nin - My daughter<br/>Aran-nin - My king<br/>Odheg - Uncle (Informal)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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